1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel supply system mounting structure for supplying fuel to an engine of an outboard motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an outboard motor in general, an engine is installed in the longitudinal direction so that a crankshaft is disposed vertically, while a drive shaft linked to the lower end of the crank shaft so as to be rotatable in unison extends downward thereby to drive a screw propeller to rotate. The engine is enclosed by an engine cover for protection against water, while fuel supply devices such as a fuel pump and a fuel filter are installed around the engine.
Four-cycle engines have been used predominantly instead of 2-cycle engines for outboard motor engines in recent years in consideration of environmental conservation. However, given the same engine displacement, a four-cycle engine tends to be larger than a 2-cycle engine, though the engine cover cannot be made large enough for reasons of appearance and the need to avoid deteriorating aerodynamic performance. As a consequence, in an outboard motor equipped with a four-cycle engine, there remains only a small space between the engine and the engine cover that makes it difficult to install such devices as a fuel pump and a fuel filter.